Tangled
by ThornfieldHall
Summary: Part of my Twilight fairytale AU's. Alice has always been the perfect daughter to mother Gothel. She made potions, fed her visions of the future and never forgot to feed the cat. But one day she gets a vision that James Stabbington, a client of her mom, is coming for her. Luckily there's Jasper, the man of her visions to help her out. Tangled & Alice in Wonderland inspired
1. Bad luck

On a cold December morning at dawn, two seemingly unrelated events happened.  
Jasper Whitlock decided to leave his past behind and take up the name of Jay Rider, fright of every possessor of wealth.  
Poverty had hit his family hard and Jasper had turned to petty crime as an extra means of income. However after several close encounters with the law he decided he couldn't risk his family's safety any longer.  
"When I return, be it in a year or a decade, I come back an honourable man."  
With those words, fifteen year-old Jasper left his childhood home, sending his parents money or goods as much as he could.

The very same morning a nanny entered the room of the little royal princess only to find an empty crib. It had been four years since her miraculous birth and so far, life had been a bliss for the royal family. The queen had been on the verge of death when a mysterious doctor arrived talking about a rare mythical flower with healing power.  
Knights of the realm had searched far and wide. Once, the flower had been quite common. But witches and wizards had stocked up on them and used them to such an extent barely any was left.  
But thankfully, they found one. The doctor made a concoction and the mother miraculously became better. A healthy babe was born shortly after.

When the royal couple showed their offspring to the world, the radiating blonde hair of the baby, a stark contrast with the brown haired couple, didn't slip past a witch's notice. The body of the little child had absorbed these magical powers. The idea of an unlimited supply of power without having to go the distance to find flowers proved too alluring to resist. She stole into the castle and kidnapped the child to raise it as her own treasure.

It hadn't been her initial plan to lock the child up. But the more she grew, the more the girl longed for independence. And there were other witches and wizards who noticed the corn blond hair and magically glowing green eyes as well. Yet, she had to get the girl to agree to remain within the containments of four walls without the girl refusing to co-operate in the future. But the old witch was a clever one. When the girl wandered away from her waggon one day, she enchanted the trees to haunt her. Darkness fell over the woods and the girl was frightened just like the animals who ran around her in panic. When she walked away from Dame Gothel in town, the witch made scary things appear and grasp her. It didn't take long before every sound in the forest startled her and every person except the witch made her tremble with fear until one day, she asked if she could be left alone at home.  
Yet Gothel wasn't satisfied. If the girl dared to wander outside of the house while the witch was away, she could slowly relearn to trust in the woods and people. So while claiming to be away, she sent minions made out of dark magic to pound on the door and claw at the windows until the girl, crippled with fear, didn't mind to be locked in a tower in the middle of the woods without any doors. High above the world, nothing could touch her.

Poor Jasper deeply mourned his previous life and decision to turn to crime. Originally, he teamed up with the Stabbington brothers. They raided some stagecoaches and stole jewellery from aristocratic county owners. They were rich enough to rent the best rooms in inns and brothels. It was a satisfying life for a little while but they longed for something bigger. Bigger was always better, not only for them but they had families in need of money.  
A woman with hair dark as night and ruby lips entered the tavern they were dining in. She approached them with an offer they couldn't refuse so they signed their names. A year in her little army and they'd return as rich as kings.  
They were sent to a training camp. They'd been successful thieves and shooting posed no problem. But real fighting and swordplay proved to be something quite different. It took a lot of bruises and scabs to get them in line. But Jasper was determined to climb. If he managed to stand out, who knew what money he'd receive.  
The woman, Maria, took notice of the prodigies of the training group. Those wanting to stand out needed the hardest of tests. They had to become soldiers without a will. So Jasper was put in melees with the other promising soldiers. The battles could last up to an entire day and they were only allowed out until only one could still move. The times he fainted from blood loss and suffered inflammations to wounds that weren't cared for, were numerous.  
He didn't get time to heal though, come morning he needed to train with the others. His resilience drew the attention of Maria. One night, when the soldiers stood in line having to hold up two heavy swords for an hour straight without moving, she approached him.  
'How heavy these must be. Are they not, soldier?'  
'Yes ma'am. But nothing I can't take.'  
'Even with those wounds.'  
'Part of the job ma'am.'  
'And what a good job you do. You're already halfway there. But wouldn't you like to make some more money in the meantime?'  
'If it pleases you.'  
'Hmm. You know, if you wish to go to bed, the only thing you need to do is use that sword and kill the man standing next to you.'  
Jasper glanced aside. He didn't know this particular individual but it didn't matter. Did she really want him to kill another one of her soldiers? Was this a test to check if he could follow every command or a test to check if he was too weak to endure this?  
'I can endure it.'  
'Fine.'

She invited him over for dinner the next day. Maria was an attractive woman with voluptuous curves and a wicked smile. She could whisper death threats and still make them sound alluring. Any plea of hers sounded irresistible to follow.  
In the next melee he defeated all the others except one within the hour. Maria draped herself across the wooden fence in which the two fighters were contained. 'You know boys, this has become quite boring. You're only allowed out once you kill the other.'  
And God help him, Jasper became so desperate he actually did it. He felt sick to his bone, but he didn't get the chance to process it. Once he did it, she took him to one of the barns. Forty men stood before him. 'These men have become too old and aren't fighting as they should. Kill them, or I kill you. I know you've been sending money to your family love, I know where they live. Do. Not. Disappoint. Me.'  
First, he got a gun. Then she grew bored and gave him a sword. He had to get even closer to them to kill them. Some stayed quiet. Some cried. Some pleaded. But it was about his family or them, he chose his family.  
Jasper wanted to cry when he went to bed. But he'd killed over forty men. He was hardly innocent. He'd cold bloodedly looked them in the eye and killed them. He'd had to. He wasn't a killer. Not really. He just did what he had to. He was a soldier. Soldiers had to follow orders. It was only that detached state of mind that allowed him to sleep.

The next week he got to train the new soldiers Maria brought in. He was now one of the few in charge and got his very own bedroom. He was glad the things he had done weren't in vain. He wanted to deliver the best soldiers Maria had ever seen. Maybe he was merciless, he didn't care. Being soft and compassionate wouldn't make them better soldiers, crying wouldn't help them on the battlefield.

A month later, she brought Jay to the stable and handed him a knife. 'End their lives, my sweet soldier boy.'  
Stab after stab, he felt his humanity seep out of him. Maria brought him to her cabin to reward him for being such a good soldier. After a while, a man called Peter was brought into the camp. He was strong, resilient and encouraging. Doing what he had to and then turning towards his fellow soldiers to help them up. Jasper realised he used to do that as well but somewhere along the way he'd stopped doing it.  
He spent time with Peter, working on his potential when one night, after training, he confessed he couldn't wait to get home and wondered if Maria would ever let them go for a holiday or permanently.  
'Home?' the concept sounded foreign to him. The constant cycle of warmongering and training seemed never-ending.  
'Yes, Juli 1667 we'll be married, my Charlotte and I.'  
'That's a long time still.'  
'No it's not Jay. It's January.'  
'That would mean I've been here for over four years.'  
Peter regarded him in an austere silence.

'Sometimes I wonder how long this will keep going on.'  
'I've given up hoping. This war will outlast our sanity.'  
'She should give you a break. You've been faithful to her for all these years despite the toll it takes on you.'  
'There's only one way people leave her ranks and you know it.'  
'But you're special. The others don't have your gifts.'  
'Gift', Jasper sneered, 'some gift. To feel everything the people I kill do. I'm losing it Peter, I've been for a while.'  
Jasper thought about the others he started with. Those who were young were still here, despite being promised to leave after a year. Those who'd reached thirty he'd killed.  
'Everyone always chooses to remain to get more money.'  
'Do they really?'

In May, on a battlefield of Erlinea, Peter became dangerously injured.  
'Jay, I beg of you. My home isn't far, only a day away at most. Please, help me.'  
Never had he been closer to deserting. In the end, he only took Peter to the nearest village, gave the people he entrusted him to some money for the inconvenience and hoped for the best.  
But Maria had noticed the absence of her right-hand man. He answered her he was just fighting out of sight, but that didn't satisfy her. When she asked about Peter he shrugged it off and told her he'd died. But something was broken inside their bond. She didn't trust him like she used to and Jasper began thinking about Peter, wondering for the first time in years how it would be to go home or quit this lifestyle.  
He had plenty of money now, after all.


	2. Destiny

'Little Alice, let down your hair, so that I may climb thine golden stairs.'  
Alice threw her golden tresses out of the window and winced as the woman pulled on it while climbing upward.  
'Smells fresh in here. Haven't you been burning all the oils as I told you?'  
'Ehm, I got a headache so I haven't today.'  
'But did you finish the potions? You didn't mess up, did you, you clumsy girl?'  
'No mother Gothel, I swear I didn't.'  
'Good, very good.' The witch smelled the potions the sixteen-year-old had brewed. 'They seem good. Now, gather your crystals and chalk. You need to help mommy again. Sir James wants to see his future again.'  
'Yes, mommy dearest.' She disliked this James. She has never officially met him but the visions of him were ruthless. The man had red glowing eyes and was constantly hunting and killing in his future. She knew their world was one inhabited by humans, witches and all kinds of creatures but it scared her nonetheless. She'd always been afraid of the outside world and people like James were one of the biggest reasons she wanted to remain in her high and distant tower. She knew he was interested in her. It's why Gothel forbade him from coming along and only brought a personal attribute to help Alice see. She'd seen them argue in het dreams. And she'd seen James contemplating whether he'd kill her, thinking that her gift would be more enhanced as an immortal.

A circle was drawn on the floor and the girl sat down with her crystals. From a young age the witch had used the magical potential already flowing through the princess' veins and increased its potential by giving her herbs and mind-altering substances. The Potpourri, oils and incense kept her intoxicated and too tired to form much of an own mind.  
Alice soon fell into a fit of delirium. Rambling in riddles, while violent spasms went through her body. Dame Gothel took a hold of her hair and began with the spell to rejuvenate her body. Alice followed suit in the incantation. Her hair illuminated the living room, shimmering like liquid gold. Gothels hair blackened and her skin became tighter. The dark circles under her eyes evaporated and within a matter of minutes she was, once again, the fairest of the land. Alice blacked out from exhaustion.

In June, Peter was completely healed thanks to the good care of the couple Jasper had entrusted him to. After thanking the couple profusely, he travelled home.  
Charlotte could barely believe her eyes when her fiancé entered her garden.  
'My oh my, my love, you have returned at last!' She flung herself in his arms. 'But how you look, what scars mar your dashing face. Pray tell, my love, what happened while you were away?'  
'It was in wars I fought and in camps I trained. One needs to be tough, scratches are easily caught along the way. I didn't win every battle I entered.'  
'I'm glad you returned to me, alive and well.'  
'I have and for that I'm grateful, If it hadn't been for my dear friend I wouldn't have been here. I was injured and near death last month. But he brought me to safety.'  
'Who is this friend? Where may he be? I want to thank him for bringing my fiancé to me.'  
'You shan't find him. Please my love, don't be angry, but after we marry I want to get him and bring him here.'  
'Why? He has a family of his own, I'm sure.'  
'It's been a long time for him and I believe him to be depressed. I want to help my friend so he can return home a whole man.'

It posed an interesting question. How do you save someone who didn't believe himself worthy of saving nor human enough to return to civilisation.

In a tower high and dry, Alice opened her eyes mid-July. She'd dreamt of a man, with honey hair and green eyes again. She remembered boys and men from when she was young. She remembered the looks men gave her when she walked the streets as a twelve-year-old. But this man has never made her shiver. In her dream he was staring into the sunset. He turned around. A word came along with the image.

 _Desperation_.

It wasn't a dream, of that she was certain. But she didn't know the meaning of her visions of this man. Maybe she was just going mad. Unsolicited visions came at a higher frequency of late. And she'd been sleeping so much. She'd already left out some herbs in the potions her mother made her take, but her mind rarely became clear anymore. If only she could stop before she lost her clarity completely. She hated being so drowsy. She hated not being able to tell reality from fantasy.

'Jay, Jay!'  
The admiral turned to the familiar voice. 'In the name of heaven and hell, Peter! Why are you here?'  
'You are alone, are you not? I owe my life to you Jay. I won't rest until I've saved yours in return.'  
'My life is not in danger.'  
'But is your soul? Come away with me, please.'

Two men riding through a forest. A devilish woman throwing open a door and screaming. A blonde haired woman hugging a man and shaking hands with the honey haired man. Three people eating together.  
The honey haired man named Jay was staring out of the window.

 _Desperation._

 _Depression._

 _Frustration._

 _Longing._

He was standing in her room. Alice pushed herself upward. 'Who are you?' She whispered.  
'Who are you?' The tall man asked her.  
'Your salvation.' She didn't know it until she said it out loud. She was destined to meet this man.  
'There is no saving me. I'm damned.' Alice reached out but her hand went straight through him. She blinked again. The figure had disappeared. She'd been grasping the air.

Peter and Charlotte were kind people. They tried to involve him in everything they did. They spent quiet nights in, playing cards and they invited him to festivals in town. He never went though. He couldn't go back to society. He was a murderer. He couldn't greet a person without looking for their weak spots and analysing their behaviour. In his sleep he dreamt of being attacked and woke up drenched in sweat, grasping for the knife that he hid under his pillow.  
They couldn't mend his heavy dirty soul.

He couldn't return to his family like this. He was too tainted. But he could help them. He left Peter and Charlotte, thanking them profusely. He returned to his life as a thief but this time, with the stealth and skills he had amassed in the private army of Maria, he set his eyes on bigger goals; The Royal Treasury.


	3. A shot at life

Alice had to leave. Today. She wasn't sure of many things, rarely anything lately. But she knew when she woke up that her dream hadn't been just that. She'd gotten a vision of her mother, returning to James to tell him of his future. James took back his personal item, a cravat, he'd never before given mother Gothel a piece of fabric. His previous items never contained much smell, but as Alice had held the cravat, her personal scent had seeped into it. Gothel made sure never to return immediately. She made it impossible for James to track her steps. But James had wandered all night along with his redheaded girlfriend until he finally got a whiff of the scent. And indeed, as Alice had washed her hair, she'd hung it outside to let it dry.  
Mother Gothel wouldn't return for another couple of days, which was normally meant to secure Alice's safety. But this time it would be her downfall. Downfall, unless she knew how to get out of this tower.

A smashing sound from the living room startled Alice in her sleeping room. Mother couldn't get in on her own, so what was it? Alarmed, she took a broom and sneaked towards the door. A man stood in front of the window.  
Not just any man. _The man._ The stranger was tall, with broad shoulders, wavy hair and a sword strapped onto his back. Unlike the previous times she imagined him, she felt scared.  
She tiptoed towards him while he was looking out of the window. Smack him first, ask questions later. If he was just another hallucination she wouldn't hurt him and if he was real- well, not a single real person could get in here except her mother.

She raised the broom high, but before she could strike, the stranger turned around and grasped the it.  
She gasped for breath. He'd been tall from afar but up close she really had to tilt her head back. Firm lips, a heavy frown and honey eyes. The man of her dream existed in reality. In her visions his face had never been clear. She'd spent a lot of time drawing him but not a single imagined head was as beautiful and frightening at the same time. How strong were his cheekbones, how straight his nose? Now she knew. Her heart fluttered, what an odd sensation.

Fragments of visions and dreams mingled. Kissing him, touching his hand, placing a crown on his head.  
'You kept me waiting long enough.'  
'My apologies, ma'am. Is this how you usually welcome your guests?'  
'I've never entertained one.'  
'You wouldn't say.'

'I'm Alice.'  
'Jay Rider', he said while putting the broom down. He reached to shake her hand. She took it. Another vision flashed before her.

" _The tales of Flynnigan Rider."_

 _A boy running around with the book._

 _Reading the book in front of a girl. 'Please Jasper, another chapter.'_

'Jasper.'  
Alice found herself on the ground in his arms when she reopened her eyes.  
'What did you say?'  
'Jasper, that's your name.' He let her go. 'How would you know?' He took in his surroundings.  
'Of all places I managed to climb into a witch's den!'  
'A witch I might be, but not of my own choice. My mother put me up here to keep me safe. She learned me her craft ever since.'  
'Safe from what?' 'The world. The people. The woods. It's a dangerous world and I- I don't dare to take part in it. I could never feel at ease down there.'

'That makes two of us. Though I would give the world a shot if I were you. How long have you been up here?'  
'Four years.'  
'You were a child still, easily impressionable. Give it a shot as an adult without an overbearing mother.'

'You come from down there. It looks as if the world did a number on you.'  
He absentmindedly touched one of the scars on his face. They cut through his eyebrow, marred his cheeks, traced his neck and littered his hands. How anyone could survive some of those hits without losing an eyeball or a finger was a mystery to her.  
'I was in the army.'  
'You were unhappy there.'  
'Yes.'

The two stared at each other in silence. He couldn't understand why he felt uncomfortable and at ease at the same time. He hadn't looked anyone in the eye since the war. It wasn't as if avoiding their eyes would make them notice him any less. A man of his form was hard not to notice. But at least he could avoid connections or Smalltalk.  
It had been years since he could admire a beautiful sunset or be touched by the sight of playing children. Looking away from Alice would be giving up the first delight for his eyes in years. Sick and twisted as it might be to force someone so young and pure to look at him just so he could revel in her bright eyes, he simply couldn't help himself.

'Jasper-'  
'Jay.'  
She didn't seem happy about being corrected. But that boy had died a long time ago, he didn't want Jasper to be tainted with Jay's history.  
'Jay, how and why did you get in here?'

'Ah, that, is an entirely different story.'  
Alice raised an eyebrow.

'I may have stolen the crown meant for the lost princess.'  
'Lost princess?'  
'You don't know about that?'  
'Look at me, look at this place. How would information about the world come to me if it isn't written in a book.'  
'I just thought you knew, since the whole room is decorated with the family crest of the royals. And of the flower that saved the princess.'  
'What?'

Jasper shook his head, standing up to point at one of her paintings on the wall. 'You mean you didn't know what you were doing when you drew this?'  
She shook her head.  
'I don't… I don't know why I draw things from time to time. Perhaps, it snuck into my mind because of some vision. Maybe it's a memory from my childhood. I don't know. I only know that I've been drawing that as long as I can remember. But that doesn't matter right now. So you stole a crown. That still doesn't explain why you're in my tower.'  
She never liked when she couldn't tell something for sure. It was an awful side effect of her deteriorating mental state.  
'I was hunted, obviously. I snuck through a hole in a rock formation that was overgrown with ivy. Heard the horses closing in on me so while stumbling to get over it, I fell through the ivy. Saw this tower, climbed in using some daggers to pull me up on.'  
'You mean there's soldiers somewhere outside?'

The two looked outside but couldn't hear or see anything.  
This was her chance, she realised. There was no way she could get out of this tower by herself but he had found a way to get in. It was either go out with him or die by James' hands.  
'I need you to help me. Please?'

He crossed his arms, Alice dully noted that the way his muscles shifted beneath his shirt was doing something strange to her belly.  
'Why?'  
'There is a man called James, a client of my mother. He's always been interested in me, despite never having met me. I believe he is coming for me and I have no means to protect myself, as you've seen. If I remain here I'll die. I don't even know if I'll survive when I do leave. Everything in the world scares me but for him, it's a playground. He's always managed to find what he's chasing, he's a hunter through and through.'

Jasper contemplated briefly about asking her why she thought he would put his life on the line for someone he didn't know until her last couple of sentences.  
'Do you happen to know his surname?' He prayed it wasn't what he thought it would be.  
'Stabbington, James Stabbington.'

He knew how it had ended for them. The eldest had died in the ring in Maria's army and the youngest had been attacked by a vampire. James had always been a ruthless bastard, killing was his second nature and he loved nothing more than a good hunt and a smart prey. If he was still alive and a vampire, she didn't stand a chance.

She couldn't be over eighteen, and she was about as sheltered as they come. He might have lost his innocence and humanity but he knew James and he knew how to survive. He couldn't leave her like this. Maybe this was his chance, some strange twist of faith to present him to all the innocence and beauty he didn't possess and wasn't worthy of and make her _need_ someone as depraved as him. But he couldn't just be this altruistic guy. He should ask her for something. She was a witch, lord knows what she could offer him. He'd be stupid not to ask anything.

'I'll help you, alright? But not for nothing.'  
'Oh, thank you. Yes, I'll give you anything you want. Anything. I just want to live.'  
'I'll take you to the castle of the queen. It's the most safely guarded place in the realm. Pack your stuff. We leave in ten minutes.'  
'What should I pack to give you?'  
'Knowing what we'll embark on. I want something that can heal all wounds and strengthen. Got something for that?'  
'Yes, but, Jay, It's dangerous to use and-'  
'I'll take it.'

Alice braided her hair and dressed in layers as Jasper had advised, and put everything in a bottomless purse her mother used for stocking all vials of herbs and plants.  
How she ever safely managed to get out of that tower would amaze her for the rest of her life. A couple of times she thought she'd plummet to her death but Jasper's strong arms were always there to grab her.

He was a silent companion, first walking a long distance in front of her and only coming next to her after she got spooked by the ruffling leaves again. He was exactly as she had expected him to be. Silent, serious and tragically handsome.  
And because Alice didn't know what to do to impress a man or how to hold up a conversation, she did what she always did when she was nervous: blabber.

'So you see, I was certain I was seeing a ghost but it was just my cat, walking around under a blanket on top of the armoire. Pour PawPaw, I hope he'll survive. He's never been alone, not even for an hour. I hope mother will take care of him. Oh mother, how shocked she will be when I'm not there but really, I had to and oh-' A dragonfly flew over her shoulder and she jumped closer to Jasper. 'I hope I can come back and get my cat.'

'Cats are very good in surviving. Besides, you'll be no use to PawPaw dead, focus on yourself.'  
'How am I not focussing on myself?'  
'Your apparent lack of focus. It's like you're constantly seeing other things than your surroundings.'  
Alice threw a glance at the faerie sitting on top of a tree and the scary plague doctor in the distance.  
'What if I am?'  
'Am what?'  
She bit her lip. He was so impatient.  
'Over there, on that branch, there's a faerie and-' As Jasper looked at the tree in apprehension she pointed towards the doctor who seemed very angry that she made his presence known, 'there is a plague doctor.'  
'Alice, I don't see any of these thi-' She didn't hear the rest of his words as the doctor ran for her. His black robes ominously rushing in the wind. His black beak was opening as he came for her. A pit of darkness ready to swallow her. And then it hit her, and she was consumed by the darkness.

 _James had reached the tower. He was turning everything over, screaming when he didn't find what he was looking for. Jumping outside, her trail was everywhere. Jasper had put Alice's perfume and clothes on several forest animals before they left to delay James, though he'd told her it would only be a temporary measure. He was coming._


	4. Wonderland

She didn't recognise the room she woke up in. The pastel hues of the furniture were calming but she didn't trust it whatsoever. She found herself still dressed, which was a relief. But where was Jasper? She snuck out of her room. The whole house was quiet, despite it being daytime. The only sounds she could detect came from the outside. Downstairs there was only one giant room with a kitchen, couches and pieces of fabric and ribbons covering every surface.  
Where ever had she arrived at?

She pushed open the door and to her relief- immediately saw Jasper. He was sitting at a long decorated table together with a rabbit and an old man.  
He immediately noticed her and looked almost glad to stand up.

'Sit down! You don't leave the Tea Party. Girl, come and join us. I hope you are well rested?'  
'I- yes, thank you sir.' How very odd the man was. He was all dressed up with a hat with a bird on the top.  
'I am so glad the two of you came across my cosy little house. I didn't expect anyone anymore, only mister Mouse.'  
He pointed at a cup and indeed, there was a mouse sitting next to it with a tie and tiny shoes.  
'I saw your friend, this tall fella, walk with you thrown over his shoulders and I though to myself- well that looks uncomfortable and so I saw fit to invite you in to take a rest and a drink. Some tea? How nice. Some tea for you.' 'For me?' 'For thee!'  
Jasper rolled his eyes. She had to supress a smile, he must be dying. The man was way too cheerful for him.

'Thank you sir, may I ask your name?'  
'My name?'  
'Your name.'  
'I'm simply the mad hatter dear.'  
'Why are you mad?'  
'Why not? We're all mad down here. He is', he said while pointing at Jasper. 'Mad strong and a mad murderer. Oh yes, don't think I don't know your kind. The only soldiers with so many scars who are still walking are Maria's soldiers. And you-' he said while pointing at her, 'are quite mad as well.'  
'Why?'  
'You just proved it. There's no mouse there, he's imaginary. But don't worry, I see him too. He's pleasant company.'  
Alice swallowed. How odd, how very odd. Jasper too, seemed more uncomfortable than annoyed now.

'And what is your name, dear?'  
'Oh. It's Alice.'  
'What a pretty name. I'm waiting for an Alice to arrive. My Alice.'  
'Your Alice?'  
'Yes, but she's late for tea.'  
'Oh, should we, leave? We don't wish to impose.'  
'Oh no, it will still be a long time.'

Alice took a sip from her tea. Still too hot.  
'You know who else is called Alice?'  
'No sir.'  
'The princess. She had the same blonde hair and green eyes. But she disappeared years ago. She would be sixteen now.'  
'I'm sixteen.'  
'How curious.'  
'Curious!' The rabbit exclaimed.  
'How quaint.'  
'How odd', the rabbit remarked.  
'How strange. My dear, where did you grow up?'  
Alice tried to think back of mother Gothel. But her mind still felt tired and foggy. The only memories she could recollect where those from shortly before she moved into the tower. Didn't she have any memories from before? It's like her memory only started working from the time she was eight.

Evening came and Jasper had obviously endured enough of the interrogation.  
'Look, gentleman- rabbit, I appreciated the kind invitation but Alice and I must leave. We're going to the queen. At the moment a dangerous man is hunting her down. We wouldn't want to endanger you too, now would we?'

The merry tea party quickly agreed and let them go.

'Why did you faint yesterday?'  
'The person I described to you got angry that I pointed him out.'  
'Is it a real thing I simply couldn't see or can your imagination really hurt you?'  
'I don't know. Sometimes my mind is my biggest enemy.'  
'Is there a way to make those hallucinations stop?'  
'Maybe. I never had them until mother Gothel started giving me things that would induce them.'  
'Why would she do that?'  
'To help my 'gift' as she called it.'  
'In my personal experience every time someone calls something a gift, most of the times it's a burden you're forced to live with but they try to twist it a certain way', he huffed.  
But his eyes went gentle as he gazed at her. 'You don't have those things with you, I assume?'  
'No, I never take them unless she checks it. I hope they'll disappear but I've been taking them less and less over the years but the visions remain. Maybe they have permanently influenced my head.' 'Or you need les because there's so much in your system.'  
'Maybe. But even if they disappear, it won't be in the near future.'

'Talking about future, did you see anything while you were asleep?'  
'James has discovered the tower. He knows I left. That's the only thing I got.'  
'Alright. At least we were fortunate enough that he discovered it yesterday night instead of two hours after we left. That gives us some time.'  
'How far is the castle?'  
'At least two days from here, if we go by foot.'  
'Can we go by horse or something else?'  
'We'll have to pass someone who sells those first, don't we?'  
'Oh yes, of course. I suppose I am rather silly.'  
'You're not. You can't help not knowing.'  
She smiled at him, not knowing how to reply.

Jasper remained at her side this time. There was no way she could stare at him like she'd done over tea. Without his jacket on she'd been able to appreciate his tall frame and broad shoulders. Even his neck was muscled. He could probably kill her in ten seconds flat. She was glad he decided to protect her instead.

Looking up, she saw spots dancing in front of her eyes. A normal person could say it was because the sun was low on the evening sky and blinded their vision, but she knew it was a vision starting to take form. She grasped Jasper's hand.  
He shot her a questioning look but didn't pull back. 'I'm going to have a vision but I don't want to slow us down. Just hold my hand so I don't trip while walking.'  
She'd often continued her task at hand in her tower as figures were dancing in front of her. They were mostly unknown people, but the two figures were shapes she recognised. One tall wavy haired man and one very tiny woman.

The ground in front of her turned into grass and the sunset was replaced with trees and a bright blue sky.

'That was a close call.'  
'You could say that', Jasper was still catching his breath as he lay in the grass.  
Alice huffed, and then started laughing in earnest as the adrenaline and stress left her body.  
'I can't believe I did that!'  
He was obviously amused and trying to stay cool but his smile could melt solid ice.  
And just like that, the Alice in her vision stopped laughing, the ghost of a smile lingering on her face as they inched closer.  
His had entangled itself in her hair and her hands quickly found their way to his warm chest.  
And then they were kissing, and judging by their expressions they were clearly enjoying it. She was surprised Jasper was capable of these emotions. He didn't seem to be capable of passionate or positive emotions. He gently pulled her hair and at that- Alice moaned and that seemed to make Jasper come back to his senses.

He pulled away, crawling back until he was in a standing position again. 'We shouldn't be doing this. You and I, we're worlds apart. I like you but we shouldn't tire ourselves with these kinds of things. We need to spare our energy for the journey. Get some rest, I'll keep watch.'  
'What shall we do tomorrow? After we've reached the castle?'  
'Well, you'll be safe in the castle so you can start your happy free life and discover all the good things the world has to offer after this unfortunate start and I'll go my way with my potion and… Voila, we part as unlikely friends.'

As she blinked the vision disappeared and she was back on the road. She rarely appeared in her own visions so they never touched her. But now she desperately wished it wasn't true. She's had visions of Jasper for months now. They were supposed to be together, she just knew it. But how? He obviously wouldn't make it easy. She had to find a way to change her vision.

'Alice, are you fine?' the current Jasper asked.  
'Yes, I'm sorry. Was I out for long?'  
'No, a couple of minutes.' Though he still looked worried.  
'Thanks for keeping me upright', she smiled. He turned his face away towards the road.

Here he was, helping her to safety in return for so little. How could she help him? She was his inferior in age, experience and physique. How cruel it was to see the future and know her purpose without knowing how to get from a to b.  
No, no, no. For all of her life she'd accepted that she had no say in her fate. But here she was, out of her tower with a chance to do what she wanted to. She'd chosen to live. What use was it to live if she couldn't choose what to do. And she'd decided to make Jasper smile again. Because he needed to be happy. Because he was so kind and deserved to be happy. And because seeing him smile made her happy.  
She could offer something. She wasn't particularly strong or savvy but she had hope and optimism. And she might be petite but she could be pretty. Maybe. She shouldn't compare her body to that of a warrior. She didn't want to be one anyway so what was the point?

'Is it true, that you have no memories from your early childhood?'  
'Why would I lie?'  
'Because you might not want them to know.'  
'I don't think like that, Jay. No, I can't remember. It's probably a side effect of the things mother Gothel gave me, they make my memory blurry from time to time.'  
'That just doesn't sound like a mother to me. Who would do something like that to their child?'  
A good question, a very good one. She thought she was just helping her mothers business but she'd never asked herself if it was a normal thing moms asked.  
'Mine always protected me fiercely, even from myself. She'd never use me for her personal gain. Sometimes, she asked me to help make the bread, but she made sure I always had fun doing it as long as I was young.'  
'That sounds lovely. I would have loved to have one of those little moments. I read about such moments in my books but mother Gothel was always very practical, not very doting.'  
Jasper opened his mouth but shut it again, though his grip around her hand tightened.

They finally arrived at an inn. Jasper payed them and Alice started wondering if there was really any benefit in this for him.  
They shared a room, in case anything might happen. Jasper took some of the blankets and made himself comfortable on the floor. No amount of persuasion from Alice could convince him there was plenty of room in the bed.  
'That's not how it's done.'  
'I don't understand.'  
'A lady and a man can't sleep in the same bed.'  
'Why?'  
'It's improper. Don't you care about your reputation?'  
'Nobody knows me. Besides, nobody on the other side of that door knows whether you sleep on the floor or the bed.'  
'They would know if I slept in that bed. Believe me.'  
'You shared a bed with a woman before.'  
The look in his eyes was the most frightening she'd ever seen him. A mixture of agony, anger and fear.  
'Stay out of my past. Go to bed, Alice.'  
'I just want you to be comfortable.'  
'I know.'

And thus the discussion was ended and each went to their separate bed.

In the middle of the night Alice woke up to an awful vision. She must have screamed, for Jasper was immediately there.  
'Alice, what is it?'  
She pulled him closer to her. But it couldn't be close enough. His heartbeat, his dear, precious heartbeat. How long did they have before her vision became reality?  
'It was awful. James and Victoria, they're going find us.'  
'When?'  
'Tomorrow. I think.'  
'Then we need to leave to try and stop it.'  
Alice nodded.  
As she was pulling on her shoes, he sat next to her once more.  
'Are you alright? You seem shaken.'  
'It's nothing. I was just a bit scared. Jay, how are we going to fight a vampire?'  
'Not in battle. We need to outsmart him.'

So they marched on, through fields and planes. Until-  
'What are those?'  
'Flowers.'  
'They're ginormous', Alice squaked as she inched closer to him.  
'They can do you no harm Alice. Come on, it's harder for James to trace us if we walk through this.'

The flowers weren't harmful but they certainly weren't _kind._

'Oh oh- who is perturbing our rest?'  
'We need our beauty sleep, mind you. What kind of flowers are you?'  
'The yellow one smells like a flower.'  
'Yes, a flower I haven't smelled in a long while.'  
'She looks odd for a flower though, she doesn't have any petals.'  
'Indeed, she's rather ugly for a flower.'  
'Maybe they are weeds.'  
'Weeds! Oh, shoo. Away with you two.'  
'She smells like a magic flower, that's it!'  
'I don't trust it. Away with you. Shoo shoo.'  
The flowers stretched towards them with their leaves and thorny branches. Jasper pulled her from harm and as they ran, the flowers only managed to hit him.  
Once they got out of the bush, Alice took a good look at him.

'Oh Jasper, your face! Their thorns must have hit you.'  
'It's alright. I wasn't pretty to start of with.'  
'You were.'  
'It's obvious you haven't met many men.'  
'Or maybe I actually think you are handsome.'  
She took a strand of hair and held it to his face.  
'Now don't be scared. I'm trying to help. Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine…'  
From the top of her roots, a light started emanating from her hair in the dark. It cast a lovely glow on her face, bringing out the beautiful green in her eyes. He was so distracted he didn't even notice how her hair healed him until Alice took a step back.  
'There, all patched up again.'  
He slowly brought a hand to his cheek. Indeed, there were no recent scratches to be found.


	5. Changing destiny

'How come you ended up in the army away from your parents? It seemed like you loved them. I can't understand why you would leave them.'  
'I had already left them by that time.' She hadn't even expected him to answer.  
'Why?'  
'Because I was bad for them. I didn't want to endanger them.'  
'How would you?'  
'Alice, you're not stupid. I was a soldier of an army fighting with that of the monarchs. I've killed more people than you'd ever meet. Look at my face, any person with common sense knows I'm dangerous. You should cower in fear instead of calling me handsome.'  
'You're not hurting me. Besides, I doubt you got those scars before your time in the army.'  
He sighed, shoulders deflating. And on the inside Alice was bubbling with pride. He'd yet again tried to make her afraid and he had just again admitted defeat.

'Let's just say that when the war first broke out, my family was in financial difficulty. I'd tried to help them but I wasn't as useful as a help. And nobody needed a trainee. It was war, nobody could afford to train someone, the market slumped. So I resorted to illegal methods. And when it became to dangerous, I left my family before they could get hurt because of it. I don't know what you want me to say. All my life has been a series of violence and bad decisions. I've even worked with James, Alice. I enlisted with the very man who is now out to destroy you. I convinced the Stabbington brothers that it was a great idea. If I hadn't, who knows, James wouldn't have been bitten and would not now be out for you. I caused this.'  
'That's your assumption. They might have ended there anyway. Besides, even if that's true you're here now. Helping me.'

It happened that afternoon. Alice got a vision of how close they were and Jasper took her into an old mineshaft. He built two traps to make a piece of the mine collapse and had a couple of knives ready to throw if need be.  
They had inspected the mine for ways to flee and found an old bridge across a river and a passage over the dam holding off the water. But until James and Victoria came around, there was nothing to do but wait.

'My heart is beating like crazy', she breathed.  
'If you keep on pacing like that you'll make a trench where you can hide in.'  
'Stop it. You're awful. My nerves are killing me.'  
'You're holding up quite well. Just two days ago you put your feet back on the earth after all those years. You were scared of the tiniest bug and the rushing leaves. It's normal you're afraid when an immortal is threatening to kill you.'  
'You don't seem afraid.'  
He just smiled. 'What do I have to lose?'

He quieted and raised his hand. Alice shut up and walked towards the stick Jasper had planted between the rocks.  
'Oh Alice, come out come out wherever you are.'  
Goosebumps rose from her wrists and travelled towards her chest and spine. Even his voice sounded scary. 'How sweet of you to just sit here and wait for us to arrive. You know, you put up quite a challenge. I didn't expect it from you, I gotta say.'  
Footsteps were coming towards them. Jasper curled a hand around his dagger.  
'I'm curious as to who you're travelling with. I've smelled him from the second you left that tower. Do you have a boyfriend? He wouldn't mind sharing you with me, would he?'

'You!' The same second James shouted, Jasper hurled the dagger towards him. A scream erupted and Alice quickly pulled the stick. Stones came crashing down.  
'Go!' Alice got back into motion and ran towards the next hindrance.

'You bastard! Don't think I've forgotten you, Jay! I'll take you back for this.'  
They rushed behind a wall. Jasper handled the stick this time, since there were a lot more stones now.  
'Oh yeah? You just try!'

They were running and before they could register a redheaded vampire was on top of Jasper. Alice didn't hesitate and pulled the sword from Jasper's back free and buried it in the woman. She turned towards Alice and Jasper grabbed her hair and decapitated her with his dagger. By then, James had caught up with them.  
'There you are. Finally, I can put a face on that pretty name.'  
Alice absolutely froze as he grinned at her, his pointed canine teeth gleaming in the dark.

'You leave her alone.'  
Jasper pushed the vampire back and Alice jumped for the stick. She hung herself on it with all of her weight and, by miracle, they came tumbling down. Jasper jumped back to not be hit by them. The tunnel James had been in had collapsed, but now theirs was shaking to.  
Jasper grasped her hands and ran. She could barely keep up with him as the tunnel was collapsing behind them. They ran across the bridge but as the tunnel fully collapsed, a big stone fell on top of the creaky old construction. The wood under her feet fell away. Two hands latched on to her arm as Jasper let himself fall on the bridge. She smacked against the sharp wood that still remained with a thump.  
'Jasper.'  
'Hold on.'  
But as he tried to pull her up, the wood underneath him started creaking as well.  
'If you keep holding me, We'll both fall.'  
'I won't let you go.'

The wood broke and they both fell.

Down.

And down.

And down.

He wrapped his arms around her. The river beneath them looked angry and blue and deep. It might break their fall. But the stream could most definitely drown them.  
She closed her eyes and held on tight. How would water feel?

And as her body hit the water with a thunderous clasp which sent waves of pain through her body. One thought presented itself with such urgency she couldn't contain it within herself.

'I cant't swim!'  
The next breath she took filled her mouth with water as the stream dragged them under. She felt Jasper move and they emerged once more. Alice took a deep breath before another current pulled them towards the side of the river. She slammed right into the hard red stone. If they survived this she'd be as blue as a blackberry from the bruises.

Jasper fought against the stream, making sure they caught a couple of breaths in between drowning but he couldn't keep them from being toyed with by the river. They passed the mine, but Jasper was starting to struggle fighting the water mass. If she clung on to him any longer, they'd definitely drown. She'd, felt Jasper move plenty now. She would just have to try and swim for her own. Knowing he wouldn't release her, she pushed herself away from his chest. She immediately went under but after a couple of violent kicks she came up again, gasping for breath. She'd already seen the future. She wasn't going to let this stupid river take it from her. She was going to live.  
'Alice, what are you doing?' Jasper shouted.

'Let's get to the side. Try and climb out! It's just grass.' She allowed herself to be dragged forth by the currant until it brought her closer to the side. She'd spared her power for this. She trashed and kicked, violently mowing through the water with her arms until- her nails dug into the dirt on the edge of the river. She threw her other arm forward and tried pushing her boots against the edge underneath the water. Her first hand slipped away and she pulled herself closer while reaching out again. Her arm finally got on top of the grass. With a lot of effort she lifted her upper body, throwing a leg as high up as she could. Her heel reached the soil. Thankfully. She pressed herself up and rolled away from the river. Safe. Dry.  
Not too far from her, Jasper lay in the grass. All wet and glistening, his clothes sticking to him like a second skin.

'That was a close call.'  
'You could say that', Jasper was still catching his breath as he lay in the grass.  
Alice huffed, and then started laughing in earnest as the adrenaline and stress left her body.  
'I can't believe I did that!'  
He was obviously amused and trying to stay cool but his smile could melt solid ice.

So stunningly beautiful it took her breath away.  
Instinctively, she inched closer, as did he.  
She knew what was coming. And knew what would follow after. Unless she changed it.  
His had entangled itself in her hair and her hands quickly found their way to his warm chest.  
And then they were kissing. Jasper was holding on to her for dear life. But Alice stayed quiet and got even closer to him, pushing herself up and taking charge. A pleased hum erupted from his throat. She slid her leg over his hips and straddled him, never once breaking the kiss. Her heart beat like crazy. She could touch anything from here and the tingling only intensified as she pressed down, her hands pulling at his hair.

He pulled away at last. 'We shouldn't be doing this. You and I, we're-'  
'Good for each other. We're both awkward in society but we enjoy each other's company, I enjoy your humour… You've got experience and I've got hope.'  
'Alice, I'm not right for you.'  
She trailed a hand over his chest, his cravat had disappeared and she got a lovely intake of his chest.  
'I left my tower to be able to live my life. Let me make my own choices', she whispered.  
'You don't know what I know. I am allowed to advice you on what is best for you, based on my experience, right?'  
'Mhm, and I'll take it into account.'  
She pressed her lips on his again.  
'And I'm allowed to tell you I know what I'm doing, given that I've seen our future.'

 _Our future._ A future in which there was an "ours". Jasper had tried and tried to remind her he wasn't good. He'd kept his distance. Had tried to do the honourable thing, knowing she was young and inexperienced and probably easily impressionable. He wanted what's best for her. He'd done everything he could to keep her alive and to keep his darkness from tainting her but if she was on top of him like that, talking about a possible future together, he just couldn't do the right thing.  
He was only a man.  
And she a very stubborn girl. He'd seen her look. Seen the way she was trying to analyse him, as if she was looking for answers on his face. He was no fool. It was obvious they were attracted to each other. But he'd never allowed himself to even just as much as _think_ about his feelings.

He pulled her against him again.  
If fate said so, who was he to go against it?

Jasper kissed all the way down to her neck. She'd never been kissed before, though she had always tried to imagine the sensation when she read about kisses in her books. But nothing she'd ever imagined could compare to the feel of his soft strong hands holding her close. No amount of make-believe make-out session with her hands could emulate the feeling of his soft dry lips against hers. She could still feel the hot, wet trail of his kisses even as his mouth travelled lower. She'd never experienced such a feeling before, the thrill and extasy silencing the realistic part within her. The timing was completely wrong, she knew that. They shouldn't be doing this while they were being hunted by an angry vampire, but she couldn't help herself. She was afraid that if they didn't have this moment now, they'd never have it. She needed to make him understand that they were meant to be. She needed to show him how much she loved his presence.  
She'd seen what would happen if she didn't. She'd seen it in the mine while they were waiting for James and Victoria to arrive. He'd treat her coldly after their kiss and would make sure to keep his distance and then- they were killed. He was the first to die, downstairs in an inn, drinking away his misery. And then it was her turn, once they reached the top floor where she was sleeping.  
He would never see his parents again. And she would never get a chance to live.

And as he bit down, another vision flashed in front of her. He applied a delicious amount of pressure. Her moans encouraged him, making him bite down just a little bit harder at her pulse point, and swapping to sucking right before it got too painful.  
'More', she breathed, her nails digging deep in the skin of his back. The little witch liked it rough, who would've thought? A part of him revelled in the discovery. She pulled his hair forcefully and now it was his time to moan. He'd always liked the pain. Had always enjoyed how it felt more real and brought him back in to the moment. It stopped his head from analysing and dragged him straight back to the present.

'Oh, Jasper', she breathed as he untied the front of her dress. He didn't correct his name this time. 'Jasper', she moaned as he took her breast in to his mouth.

Another image appeared in front of her eyes.

Infinity.

She'd changed her fate. 

* * *

**To be continued. What are you thinking so far? Let me know in the comment section.**


End file.
